Is Na-Kd Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown!

NA-KD is a Swedish fashion brand that sells the newest styles in apparel, accessories, and beauty goods. With a focus on social networking, community building, and trends, NA-KD has swiftly emerged as a top destination for trend-conscious customers worldwide.

Jarno Vanhatapio, one of the five founders of Na-kd, had previously founded several e-commerce businesses. When the business was first established in May 2015, it acquired a number of lesser fashion websites and combined them onto a single platform. In December 2015, the company's own online store opened.

Since January 2017, Na-kd products have also been sold by wholesalers in Sweden, and since July 2017, they have also been offered by German wholesalers through the Ben And agency. In a shopping complex in Amstelveen, the first Na-kd store debuted in September 2018.  Na-kd also began pop-up stores and shop-in-shops in Germany the same year.

Beginning in January 2018, Na-kd produced about 40 designs per day with generations Y and Z as its target market which makes it a fast fashion brand. 

By the end of 2019, Na-kd had launched many product lines under its own brands, including NKD/BTY, which introduced makeup to the lineup for the first time.

Today, with more than 3 million Instagram followers, the NA-KD brand is among the ones with the quickest online growth. The majority of its sales are generated by its brands and online store.

For the debut of new collections, the Swedish start-up frequently collaborates with social media influencers like Andrea Hedenstedt, Anika Teller, Astrid Olsen, Camille Botten, Dilara Avci, Pamela Reif, Kristin Sundberg, and others.

Sustainability Rating: 5/10

Category: Clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, beauty

For: Women

Products: Tops, dresses, trousers, jeans, skirts, shoes, blazers, swim and beachwear, accessories, shirts and blouses, bags, loungewear, lingerie and sleepwear, hoodies and sweats

Style: Casual, chic, classic

Quality: Medium

Prices: $

Sizes: 2XS-2XL, 2-14 (US), 4-16 (UK), 32-46 (EU), 6-18 (AU)

Fabrics: Cotton, linen, hemp, lyocell, mesh, satin, sequin, velvet, viscose, polyester, nylon, leather, wool, silk, chiffon, acrylic, spandex, polyurethane, rubber, denim, knit, lace

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: Yes

Recycling: Yes

Manufacturing countries: Turkey, Portugal, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Italy, Morocco, India, Vietnam, Taiwan

Certifications: FSC, BSCI

Interpretation Of The Sustainability Score

If a brand receives a rating of 5/10, it means that the brand is somewhat on the right track to make fashion sustainable.

They are more transparent and responsible than most apparel brands and take massive action to reduce their impacts.

What Are The Sustainability Practices Of Na-Kd?

Na-Kd pledges to do everything possible to improve as a brand from a sustainability standpoint, in addition to becoming one of the fastest-growing e-commerce brands in Europe.

The brand claims that 63% of its clothing is created using at least some organic, recycled, or better-produced materials. By 2030, they want to have a 50% lower climate impact than they did in 2020.

Their target is for 100% of their materials to be either organic, recycled, or better created by 2030, as the materials in their goods and the production of those materials have the largest environmental impact.

They have employed this target in their most recent collections, which feature cutting-edge, environmentally friendly fabrics like swimwear made of SEAQUAL® YARN, a high-quality polyester yarn made entirely from post-consumer recycled materials, with 90% recycled PET plastics and 10% recycled marine plastic from Seaqual Initiative.

Furthermore, many of the denim goods at NA-KD employ the Jeanologia technology, which uses fewer chemicals, less water, and less energy.

What Are The Ethical Practices Of Na-Kd?

Na-Kd promises to respect human rights and work to empower and provide opportunities for everyone in its supply chain to realize their full potential. As members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the amfori BSCI, they are working to provide fair and equal opportunities throughout the supply chain.

Moreover, the brand began investigating worker pay in its supply chain and mapping the circumstances at the factories supplying NA-KD in 2021.

The brand also hosts the NA-KD awards every year for their staff because they say that making their staff grow is one of their goals, and they believe that goal should be honored and acknowledged.  

Forced labor, human trafficking, and contemporary slavery are all unacceptable to NA-KD. As part of their Purchase Agreement, their suppliers sign a Supplier Code of Conduct, which expressly prohibits them from using coerced, indentured, bond, compelled, trafficking, or non-voluntary labor or engaging in precarious work. All areas of their business, including all of their business partners, are subject to the same zero-tolerance policy.

Does Na-Kd Ensure They Are Not Using Child Labor?

Na-Kd claims that within their own operations, they have zero tolerance for any kind of child labor. Additionally, they explain that their Supplier Code of Conduct, which their suppliers sign as a condition of their Purchase Agreement, makes it quite clear that their suppliers must not use any sort of child labor.

All of their business partners are subject to the same zero-tolerance policy.

Aside from the brand's statements, we have no evidence to support either the validity of this or the possibility that child labor is actually employed.

Does Na-Kd Have Any Animal Welfare Policies?

NA-KD has a report of Material Ethics & Animal Welfare Policy where it states that it strictly prohibits the use of actual fur in any of its products. The NA-KD only accepts wool and hair from farm animals that have been humanely treated or obtained from suppliers who practice good animal husbandry.

The brand also states that animal testing is not permitted on any of NA-KD's products, including testing of ingredients and completed goods.

Though there are many other broad statements in their report about minimizing animal pain, there is no proof that it tracks the usage of any animal products back to the original stage of production; it also employs exotic animal hair and leather.

Sources:

https://www.na-kd.com/siteassets/campaigns/2020/november/nakd-truth/design/na-kd-material.pdf?ref=AA339448E0#:~:text=Fur-,NA%2DKD%20does%20not%20allow%20any%20use,real%20fur%20in%20our%20products.&text=NA%2DKD%20only%20accepts%20wool,way%20that%20harmed%20the%20animals.

https://www.na-kd.com/en/sustainability-commitments/diversity-and-inclusion

https://www.na-kd.com/siteassets/campaigns/2021/january/sustainability-commitments/nakd-modernslaverystatement.pdf?ref=AFAD74BD27

https://www.na-kd.com/siteassets/campaigns/2020/november/nakd-truth/office/policy-documents/nakd-code-of-conduct-final.pdf?ref=D9661D26C9#:~:text=NA%E2%80%91KD%20has%20zero%20tolerance,any%20form%20of%20child%20labour.

https://www.na-kd.com/en/sustainability-commitments/working-conditions-and-human-rights

https://www.na-kd.com/en/sustainability-commitments

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakdcom

https://www.na-kd.com/en/about

https://career.na-kd.com/pages/our-culture

https://www.na-kd.com/siteassets/campaigns/2022/sustainability-commitments/na-kd-sustainability-report-2021_final.pdf?ref=49E07AD71B

https://www.na-kd.com/en/customer-service/sustainability